2.4.1. Body weight

The weight of a fertilized queen can vary considerably due to egg laying
intensity, genetic factors (race) and environmental factors that affect egg
laying. More uniform conditions can be assured by using very young unfertilised
queens and respecting the following conditions:

Electronic balances with an accuracy of 0.1 mg
should be used.

If unfertilized queens are used, they should be as
young as possible. Queens can lose almost 1-2 mg
of weight per day after emergence (Skowronek et al., 2004; Kahya et al.,
2008).

Queens can be placed into small cages to facilitate weighing (Fig. 6).

The genetic origin of the queen influences the
weight standards and should thereby be known.

At least
ten queens per line and apiary are collected on the same day when evaluating
fertilized queens. Sampling is usually repeated twice during the reproductive
season. This parameter can vary considerably due to egg laying intensity and
various other factors and mechanisms (genetic, biochemical) that affect egg
laying.